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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. present — a gift
  6. root — of a plant
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pop — to visit
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. root — the cause
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. root — of a word
  20. degree — from a university
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. pop — soda
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com